Great video of some flights from LDRS - one of the biggest national high power events during the year. If you cant watch all 8:00 of this video, skip to the last 45 sec. to see a pretty great ... [Read More]
Ack, I never thought I'd use that term. Anyway, Rocketry Planet is providing a feed of LDRS28-related Tweets. So far, I've been underwhelmed by Twitter but maybe this will prove interesting. Brett ... [Read More]
Rocketry Planet has posted more details on the first day of, er, flying. As Brett Keller reported via Twitter , the field conditions are terrible. Darrell has posted some photos, including the ... [Read More]
I'm adding to this thread as new sources are found. The latest will be on top. (posted 7/11 12:22 AM ) And, although only Day 1 is currently listed, ROCKETS Magazine's albums should provide the best ... [Read More]
Truth is stranger than fiction. Jerry Irvine is apparently writing LDRS launch reports for Rocketry Planet - Day 1 of LDRS 29 sees high winds with little flying . Sound like everything but the ... [Read More]
Rocketry Planet has a great report on day 2, including 3 slide shows and a video montage of people, places, and, more importantly, things (that means rockets, y'know). I attached a small ... [Read More]
DSC01818 , originally uploaded by GraceFamily . As mentioned in my earlier post. Click through to see the Flickr user's entire LDRS-29 album. [Read More]
Here's another small but nice album on Flickr. It includes shots of several big futuristic/sci-fi rockets. Looks like PunkRocketScience had a bad day - there is a shot of a badly crunched ... [Read More]
A reader sent me the link to their nice photo album from Saturday . Looks like the site was well protected by a Patriot battery. :D Was that Mythbuster Kari Byron that I s ... [Read More]
Jerry Irvine's day 3 report is up over at Rocketry Planet. I'll add a link here when Neil posts his. Jerry's report Neil's report Highlights - Student's flying low and slow versions of famous ... [Read More]
While waiting for the day 4 reports (and maybe Neil's day 3)... TRF post packed with photos - Highlights: Interceptor-N both going up and down; Patriot battery with one hald way out of its tube; big ... [Read More]
I noticed via Neil's Day 3 report that ROCKETS Magazine's galleries are being populated. They have some really great shots and I can tell their DVD will rock. I couldn't resist swiping ... [Read More]
Neil McGilvray's report on day 4 is up on Rocketry Planet. This is the first day that Neil beat Jerry in the launch report drag race, so I don't know if Jerry going to submit one. If so, I'll add ... [Read More]
No written report - yet - but You can read the Day-5 report AND the ROCKETS Magazine crew has uploaded a few photos from Day 5 . I think Neil said he was going to fly a huge single use motor ... [Read More]
Well, you can stick a fork in LDRS-29. There is no report on the closing day yet, but ROCKETS Magazine does have a gallery . Also, it looks like the launch will be featured on the ... [Read More]
I was able to attend LDRS 29 at Lucerne Dry Lake, CA from Friday@11AM through Sunday@3PM. With rare exception it was windy/gusty the entire time and the only relief came between pronounced wind ... [Read More]
When I first started Facebook, not many rocketry people/companies/orgs were there. In fact, I wanted to keep my Facebook account and my rocketry web presence separated so I didn't search any ... [Read More]
"Seismic rocket launch at LDRS 29 at Lucerne dry lake, California June 13, 2010. 29 pound rocket on a L850. The main chute charge went off at 500 feet, but the charge was not strong enough to eject ... [Read More]
Big because there are over 3000 photos. Bad because you have to wade through stuff like ~40 shots of the same 'chute in the sky. I gave up at page 30 when I found the one showing Mythbuster ... [Read More]
Click through any of these to get to the source album. It's worth the time if you want more LDRS pics. An unknown RG. No comments please. DSC_9945a , originally uploaded by El Jefe Torcido . ... [Read More]
Well, I’m scrambling to finish a few rockets for LDRS 30. I’ll be bringing at least 6 rockets. 3 oddrocs, and 3 ‘traditional’ rockets. Here’s a few photo’s ... [Read More]
I am headed to Argonia, KS for a week of high flying rockets. Join me as I video blog my experiences. Lots of great stuff. Karie Byron of Myth Busters fame will be there taping a show for the ... [Read More]
Bayourat Rocketry plans to document this year's LDRS. He'll try to broadcast live from Argonia but, if his cell service doesn't cooperate, he'll record a nightly show. Check out ... [Read More]
Wow – I never realized Kansas could look and feel like Mars! Temperature today was 103 degrees, wind gusts of 25 mph, with a consistent breeze filled with dust and dirt ensuring no part of ... [Read More]
IMG_9720 , a photo by megram on Flickr.
I had heard about this...er...rocket. Twitter user bayourat was involved and reports it won the oddroc competition. Want...more...details. (And a photo or ... [Read More]
Short update… Need to get to bed for the long trip home. Day two was just as hot and dirty as Friday. Local’s told me Argonia Kansas just passed their record for days over 100 degrees. ... [Read More]
A few days ago, some nice photos began to show up on Flickr. Thanks to the owner's generosity, these were embeddable...and a couple were embedded. Then they stopped. Some nice ... [Read More]
Tap, tap, tap. I'm impatiently awaiting all the photos people have said are out there. Here are a few more LDRS items from here and there. There are certainly a lot more than this ... [Read More]
I just got back from Argonia, Kansas and the Large And Dangerous Rocket Ship Launch where the Tripoli Louisiana Club. Now known as the "Cajun Coalition". Launched a rocket powered Tiki ... [Read More]
I am still surprised how few photo galleries I've found. However, what's there is good! Ray LaPanse continues to populate his albums . And, ROCKETS Magazine has their mega-sized albums ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace and Rocketry has a video of the CATO of Troj's 'Insane Project'. That's an impressive array of rocket confetti and showering propellant!
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An Editorial By: Ken Good "For five days, more than 2,000 rockets burst into the sky with a billow of smoke, racing thousands of feet straight up in a matter of seconds. In fact, the FAA ... [Read More]
Today, the Rocketaholic cross-posted Chris Pearson's history of LDRS on his blog (from Rocketry Planet under a Creative Commons License with Attribution). I have referred to the same article ... [Read More]
"The LDRS story actually got started a number of years before the first LDRS was held in a northern Ohio farm field. Here's how it began..." Click here to hear the rest of the story. ... [Read More]
Yep, it's true. After a few weeks of uncertainty whether it would actually happen or not, it is finally official, and I am leaving tomorrow morning! LDRS -- Large and Dangerous Rocket Ships -- is ... [Read More]
After an 18+ hour drive, I finally made it to Middlesex, NY and set up camp. It was a fun drive. I stayed the night in Cleveland in a parking lot of a Wal-Mart Supercenter o.O No problems, no ... [Read More]
I've had two awesome days at LDRS!!! It is simply heaven on earth here. There are so many AMAZING projects here. N's and O's are commonplace, and M's are practically ubiquitous. At Tripoli MN, when ... [Read More]
At least, the first I've seen. DTH Rocket has posted a report on the first 2 days of LDRS-31 : My First LDRS -- First 2 launch days . I let you read the whole report but will swipe one ... [Read More]
Another LDRS 31 has come and gone. As usual, the hosting club put together a really nice event. The first day was much like my first day at LDRS 30: hot and dusty. You can always tell the ... [Read More]
Seems like the photo documentation has been slower coming this year. I haven't really scoured the Internet but will point out a few sources that I've run across. I may update the list and re-post as ... [Read More]
Just watched Discovery Science's LDRS 31 show . Some people have complained that it portrays we sport rocketeers as a bunch of yahoos who love to blow things up and don't care much for safety. That ... [Read More]
These came from Liberty Launch Systems/ROCKETS Magazine's LDRS-33 Saturday album . The rocket didn't seem to fly 100% straight but appeared to recover just fine. I'm hoping Neil will talk about it ... [Read More]
LDRS started up yesterday and runs through Monday in Potter, NY, about an hour and a half west southwest of Syracuse. I decided not to register as a flyer. Partly that’s because I’m ... [Read More]
Going to watch LDRS on Friday was the right call. The range was closed Saturday and Sunday (all day both days, I believe) though it was announced AMW would be open today holding a “we ... [Read More]
I haven't felt much like blogging in recent months. Could you tell? Well I'm attempting to catch up now so I suppose that's something... onward and upward. LDRS was conveniently hosted by ... [Read More]
It's hard to believe that LDRS was basically in my own backyard and I didn't register to fly. I did, however, traipse out to say hi to some rocket buddies and see a few flights. The weather was ... [Read More]
The LDRS (Large, Dangerous Rocket Ships) rocket event is an annual gathering of rocket enthusiasts organized by the Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA), one of the largest amateur rocketry ... [Read More]
I call it the Black Rock Edition because most of the enclosed material originated there: one article on the Rocket Mavericks July launch and three on Balls 17. Where else other than Black Rock will ... [Read More]
All and all, 2008 was a momentous year here in the Dungeon. On a personal basis, it started poorly but ended on a high note. But, since this is a rocketry blog, my top 10 is limited to on-topic ... [Read More]
At all times, there are a baker's dozen rocketry projects from teams and individuals on the edge between level 3 high power, and amateur rocketry. Many of them are attempting flights to near space or ... [Read More]
Dale Windsor's on-again, off-again model rocket motor history page is on-again .
The LDRS-28 featured projects page is coming along nicely.
No Polish rocket jokes, please...they've got a ... [Read More]
This issue features several articles about, or at least motivated by, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. Besides the fact that we sport rocketeers are also space program fans, the tie-in to sport ... [Read More]
AeroTech is pleased to announce that it has created the Karl E. Baumann (KEB?) Signature Line? of specialty and high-performance rocket motor products. Karl is currently AeroTech`s Director of ... [Read More]
AeroTech Information Release 5/28/09 AeroTech Creates Karl E. Baumann Signature Product Line AeroTech is pleased to announce that it has created the Karl E. Baumann (KEB™) Signature L ... [Read More]
I got my Level-2 at LDRS2000 outside Orangeburg, SC. My Great Googly Moogly flew on a J350 that was generously provided free by AeroTech. Recovery was controlled by a GWiz altimeter with motor ... [Read More]
A while back, I posted about N-Power without epoxy? .One of the rockets I mentioned was Michael "Dr. Rocket" Reiner's modular aluminum rocket. I learned the following from Point 39 Productions video ... [Read More]
Here is Brian Weese's Purple Haze , which flew at LDRS XVII in the Bonneville Salt Flats back in August 1998. It flew on an H180 and 60 Estes 'C' motors arrayed along the entire body. It looked like ... [Read More]
This was a full scale SAAB that flew at LDRS 17 on a central M and four I's. The I's lit and lobbed the rocket off the pad. The M then ignited when it was oriented in the wrong direction. Lesson: ... [Read More]
First, let me say that I appreciated Brett Keller's efforts to provide updates from LDRS 28 (his Tweets can be found here ). I enjoyed hearing some feedback from the field. So, this is only a ... [Read More]
Woohoo, I got both the Sept/Oct Sport Rocketry (with NSL coverage) and the Aug ROCKETS Magazine (LDRS 28 issue) today. Reading and blog posting to ensue. But now I have to fiddle with my new ... [Read More]
Well, that was quick, eh? First, it turns out the rechargable trimmer was quick and easy to assemble, charge and use. Second, I haven't actually read the whole magazine. But, here goes anyway. I'll ... [Read More]
The three main features in this issue are the National Sport Launch, Team America Rocket Challenge and a tech article on building an electronics bay. I like the cover photo of the high power Jayhawk ... [Read More]
A few days ago, Rocketry Planet published a great article regarding the coming meeting of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Technical Committee on Pyrotechnics in Salt Lake City, ... [Read More]
Looking back at Chris Pearson's History of LDRS , I see a photo of a rocket that flew on 80 F40's. Assuming the existing AT F40 data , that's equivalent to a 6248M3032.
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After finishing my taxes today I decided to repair several ailing rockets despite needing to build/finish several others. First off I fixed the 4" bullet after an early I366 Redline flight with yet ... [Read More]
"Edited video from an amateur rocket launch outside Amarillo Texas (LDRS 25) in June of 2006. The rocket featured is two stages, 17ft. tall, and weighs ~130lbs at takeoff. It has flown twice ... [Read More]
I continue to make progress on Der Red Mix's electronics bay and motor tubes. Right now I only have e-bay pix, however, so here they are: The Flip MinoHD camera fits nicely through the side and I ... [Read More]
All of a sudden this thing's really coming together. I cut all the airframe holes tonight and everything's piecing together peachily:
Despite all my Illustrator pre-work and all the iteration ... [Read More]
Yesterday was the last Plaster City launch before the summer heat break. However heat arrived early as it was 80?F at 8AM and 108?F when I left at about 3:30PM!!
My first flight of the day was ... [Read More]
Not much going on today in the Interwebs. I was kinda down about not being at LDRS, which starts tomorrow (or today if this post is slow). Should be interesting. I've heard about ... [Read More]
ViperLaunch , originally uploaded by Mike (Sparky7) Jerauld .
Cross posted for Verna and Randy. Click through to see more from TeamViper at LDRS-29
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What's inside: Review of an Estes Saturn V complete with scale gantry; Pt. 5 of Black Magic Missile Work's electronics series; Rocket girl Haley Allen; Launch report from the Phoenix Missile Works ... [Read More]
This is one source for the J1999N story. I am not sure this is the picture we need to show to the world, now that the BATF is (correctly) off our backs. There seem to be a ton of shreds at LDRS this ... [Read More]
"Superfluous Launch 6 at LDRS 29 on 6/13/2010 Motor Aerotech N3300R Max Altitude 17764 ft G-Wiz, 17767 RRC2 Max Speed 1427 ft/sec (mach 1.3) Max Acceleration 16G Above Mach from 2.5 to 7.8 seconds ... [Read More]
Yesterday started cloudy but windless on the lakebed. I quickly prepped my newly-stable Squat rocket for the drag race my friend KO and I had planned. She was stuck in traffic so I then prepped and ... [Read More]
Here is my Grand Whazoo just prior to its maiden flight at a NARHAMS launch in Middeletown Park. I think I've posted this photo before but, since The Grand Whazoo just bit the dust, I thought ... [Read More]
Hot off the presses, my copy arrived this afternoon. I immediately thumbed through it and then started reading the last article, which is about Cal-Poly's rocket-buildings. I took ... [Read More]
My knee's been bothering me and every time it starts to get better I seem to re-irritate it. So, no grass mowing or climbing down into the Dungeon today. Gotta get it ready for next ... [Read More]
The LDRS-29 video set is comprised of 4 DVDs, 2 with video and 2 containing a slideshow of over 4900 photos. The 2 hours video is shot in HD and has a Dolby-surround soundtrack. Both the ... [Read More]
"Greg launches 4 inch dia. carbon fiber rocket using Cesaroni N10000 V-Max 98mm motor. (Mach 1 at 700 feet and Mach 2 around 1100 AGL)"
"Jack Garibaldi and James Dougherty duke it out at ... [Read More]
Here is my yearly recap of what I think was most significant in and around the Dungeon. As originally mentioned, I jumped the gun on posting the list. It's now 100% complete! In no ... [Read More]
The Great Googly Moogly is a 8" x 75" scratch built rocket that I used for my TRA Level 2 certification at LDRS 19 in Orangeburg, SC. However, I began building it almost a year earlier, before even ... [Read More]
Starship Enterprises was a manufacturer of some interesting kits. In January 2001, the company changed names to Fat Cat Rockets. Best as I remember, both entities were owned and operated ... [Read More]
This is a ring-fin design that flies on 29mm motors. It uses several unique components: a poured foam, yarn wrapped cone and an engine bell built from Aquapod water bottles. The body is a 3" window ... [Read More]
Here are my motor reviews from EMRR. AeroTech G77R (updated!) AeroTech G79W (updated!) Quest D5-0 Plugged Ellis Mountain SU J110 (out-of-production) Ellis Mountain SU J228 (out-of-production) ... [Read More]
First shalt thou build. Then, shalt thou count to XXX. No more. No less. XXX shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be XXX. XXXI shalt thou not count, neither ... [Read More]
This post describes the Point 39 Productions LDRS XIX (on VHS tape) and the ROCKETS Magazine/Liberty Launch Systems Red Glare IV (on DVD) videos. Point 39 Productions - LDRS XIX
Ever since ... [Read More]
The pluses - It looks like a usable cone. It's nice and sparkly in the sun (better live than in the photo). The minuses - It's not perfectly uniform. The surface is not smooth. ... [Read More]
"Wildman" Tim Lehr and "Crazy" Jim Hendricksen are known for their extreme projects. In a TRF thread , Tim presents one of his LDRS projects, a 12" diameter, minimum diameter, 'Mega" pro ... [Read More]
Ray Lapanse has just started posting photos. He currently only has photos of Troj's Insane Project flying and CATOing on a 'P' motor. The album will be worth visiting again over the next few weeks. ... [Read More]
During my recent trip to Argonia, KS and the LDRS rocket launch. I witnessed the failure of a large amateur rocket motor. The motor case ruptured at the thread grooves that were cut too deep and ... [Read More]
Location: Central Sod Farm, Centreville, MD ( MDRA ESL-160) Weather: cloudy, high 60s, wind ~5 MPH Total flights: Today - 4; YTD - 52 Total motors: Today - 4; YTD - 67 The day started poorly with ... [Read More]
I'm starting to think about what I'm going to do with the 28" long, 5.875" dia. Crayon bank that Skycopp gave me. I want to do something out of the ordinary. So, what else is new? The ... [Read More]
Via an email list, Alan Whitmore (Prefect, Tripoli East NC), announced that Tripoli will be rolling out a new 'research' safety code. The details are sketchy, but it sounds like this will ... [Read More]
The 2012 RocketReviews.com Vertical Wall Calendar features a dozen exciting photographs of rocket launches. Each photo is 11″ x 11″ and printed in dynamic color on 10pt heavyweight ... [Read More]
Mavericks, Paton Group, and Inspirtech to open 5 Space Education Research Center s, ROL - "The Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation, The Paton Group, and Inspirtech LLC today announce the ... [Read More]
"This flew at LDRS 29 in June 2010. Total length was 25 feet, 110 lbs. on the pad. Used all Cesaroni motors, starting with a M-2505, K-1085, K-1085, and an L-995 in the 4th stage. Unfortunately, the ... [Read More]
I have been away this week at the USA Science and Engineering Festival. This is a giant (ca. 3,000 exhibitor) festival that takes place in the equally giant DC convention center A - C halls. Much ... [Read More]
One of my goals this summer is to break Mach 2. When I got back from school earlier this May, I started work on a new rocket that should be up to the job. It's a 38mm minimum diameter rocket made of ... [Read More]
That pretty much described today's L900 Dark Matter drag race at LDRS. My "Gone to Plaid" (Ludicrous Speed's badder brother) is the rocket on the right just taking off from the pads - Tile, ... [Read More]
I don't know if that's exactly accurate, but I just got back from Facebook, where I saw where some guy flew three 'N' flights at LDRS. For an hour or two my rockets will feel inadequate. ... [Read More]
Here's a recovery video of the Cajun Coalition's Cochon (aka Pig Rocket). Beau is still teasing us and holding back the launch segment. My wife said the Cochon should have bees stuffed with actual ... [Read More]
At LDRS 31, I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Macomber, who flies the Go Fast Rocket Belt. Nick Macomber flies the Go Fast Rocket Belt at events and functions all over the world. His passion for ... [Read More]
"I am currently a college student and one of my courses is having a discussion on ethics this week. I am wondering what precautions are taken by RSOs to ensure everything is safe. What happens if an ... [Read More]
I see Chris Michielssen posted his top ten for 2012. So, I see no reason to wait to post mine: 1. Space Shuttle Discovery buzzes Washington DC .
2. Discovery and Enterprise nose-to-nose at ... [Read More]
This issue covers, LDRS XXXI, LDRS XXXI and nuttin' but LDRS XXXI. I've enjoyed they eye candy but haven't read it yet. I noted lots of cool oddrocs that didn't make the Discovery show. ... [Read More]
I just saw a sad post over on ZZakk's Lab . On December 21, Ken suffered a fatal motorcycle accident. I only knew him from the web but will miss our discussions. Ken was an innovator in may things ... [Read More]
This year’s NYPower attendance was down, perhaps in part due to conflicting with NSL and to people saving up rocket time for LDRS in nearby Potter. Today was especially low key. Which was ... [Read More]
Yesterday, this blog hit the 10,000 pageview mark, in just under a year of publication. I don't really know if that's a lot for a blog in general, but it sure seems like a lot to me. I hope you guys ... [Read More]
The Syracuse Rocket Club’s Annual Family Launch is not exactly as ambitious as LDRS, or even NYPower; still, it’s our own biggest event, and lots of fun. This year’s had weather ... [Read More]
Click here for the Pro Series II introduction. Click here for Ventris The Nike Smoke rocket was a NASA sounding rocket used during the 1960's.
A Nike Smoke being prepared ... [Read More]
That 3-day URRG launch in late June will in fact be URRF 3, it turns out. URRF is Upstate Research Rocketry Festival, which is put on by URRG, Upstate Research Rocketry Group, as a Tripoli research ... [Read More]
At the end of May/beginning of June of each year, HARA and the Music City Missile Club (MC squared) hold our biggest annual launch, Southern Thunder. However, this year it's going to be different; ... [Read More]
After losing my stalwart DarkStar I decided that I would not rebuild it. Instead I purchased a 4" Punisher w/75mm mount at LDRS and the booster is already built: I really dig this volumetrically ... [Read More]
Oh hi there. I'm known to blog... occasionally. I attended the most recent launch at Holtville, CA and a fine day it was. I flew only a CTI 168H410 Vmax reload in my DarkStar ... [Read More]
A rocket launch in the high desert! Earlier this month, I was able to make it to my first rocket launch in over a year. At first glance, this seems inexcusable for someone whose blog and other social ... [Read More]